Follow KPCC

Experts say important learning lost when letter drills push out playtime

by Deepa Fernandes | Take Two

Students line up to sing a song before their parents arrive for a graduation ceremony in a class of mixed kindergarten and transitional students at Stanley Mosk Elementary School in Winnetka.Grant Slater/KPCC

Share

You probably remember kindergarten as a time of finger painting, dress up, and story time. But when UCLA researchers asked today's kindergarten teachers how much play time they allow, almost 80-percent said fewer than 30 minutes a day.

Some even said there was no time at all. KPCC's Deepa Fernandes reports an emphasis on academics in kindergarten - and even preschool - is pushing out play.

Recently on Take Two

About Take Two

Take Two, exclusively on 89.3 KPCC, 89.1 KUOR and 90.3 KVLA in southern California, and on 88.9 KNPR in Las Vegas, captures the spirit of the West in a conversational, informal, witty style and examines the cultural issues people are buzzing about.